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Central Park
CENTRAL PARK Even as far back as 1850, there was an urgent need to create an oasis from the hectic city life that so characterizes Manhattan. The park’s original visionaries hoped to make it more than simply a park, but truly a progression of art and culture and democracy. And they succeeded. This 840-acre area of parkland contains beautiful landscapes of a great variety of country-- meadow, rolling hills, forest, reservoirs, and sporting fields-- as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a small zoo, the famous Chess and Checker House, and much, much more. Central Park is indeed central, located in the heart of Manhattan Island. In total, it is approximately two and a half miles long and half a mile wide. The roads inside are available to through traffic but remain closed to vehicles on weekends as well as every morning and evening. The entire park is surrounded by high stone walls with gates opening at regular intervals every few blocks. Central Park has seen and has been the setting of many great battles between various super-powered individuals and groups. During the original "Secret Wars", Central Park was where the Beyonder fashioned his construct that transported many of Earth's heroes to the Battleworld. Central Park is also the battleground in an epic war between New Yorks Frogs and Rats. Central Park played a pivotal role during the "Secret Invasion" when Thor (as well as dozens of other heroes) initiated an all-out attack against the Skrull occupation. It was there that Janet van Dyne gave her life to stop the Skrulls and it was here that Norman Osborn shot and killed the Skrull Empress. Following the "Secret Invasion", Central Park was renamed Restoration Park. Scene Distinctions Central Park Zoo, Children's Zoo, Chess and Checker House, Columbus Circle, Friedsam Memorial Carousel, Obelisk, Pine Bank Bridge (Rat Territory), Pond, Receiving Reservoir (Frog Territory), Shakespeare Garden, Strawberry Fields, Surrounded by High Stone Walls, Tall Trees, Tastefully Arranged Landscape, The Great Lawn, Vendor's Stands, Visitor's Center, Wild Area at the Top of the Park (Squirrel Territory). Scene Complications none SFX: Animal's Perspective. Animal Characters add the Scene Complications "Dangerous Crowds of Humans (by Day)", "Eat or be Eaten (by Night)". SFX: Central Park Crime. Spend 1 PP/a doom die to add a Junkie, Mugger or Gang Member to the scene, or add an affiliation die to a mob of Gang Members. Reduce mob by dealing D8 stress. SFX: Denizens of Central Park. Spend 1 PP/a doom die to add a Frog of Puddlegulp's Tribe, Pigeon, Rat, Squirrel, or Stray Dog to the scene, or add two affiliation die to a mob of Frogs, Pigeons, Rats, or Squirrels or one affiliation die to a mob of stray dogs. Reduce mob by dealing D6/D8 stress respectively. SFX: Dramatic Backdrop. Once during the scene, gain a free stunt die for a pool including a Scene Distiction from Central Park. SFX: Frog Passages. Animal Characters may spend 1 PP if they are on friendly terms with the Frog Tribe/a doom die to transport themselves from Central Park to Morlock Tunnels. SFX: Panic !!!. Spend 1 PP/a doom die to add an affiliation die to a mob of Panicked Crowd of Visitors. Spend an effect die or doom die at +1 step to reduce mob. SFX: Public Park. Spend 1 PP/a doom die to add "Group of Tourists", "People Out for a Walk", or "People Walking their Dogs" as a Scene Distinction or Scene Complication. Spend a D10 effect die or doom die to remove any of those Scene Distinctions or Scene Complications. Limit: Panic Reaction. Until “Panicked Crowd of Visitors” is removed, count both 1’s and 2’s as opportunities. Remove only 1’s from your dice pool. Dramatis Personae Animals: Frogs of Puddlegulp's Tribe, Pigeons, Rats, Squirrels, Stray Dogs People: Central Park Visitors, Gang Members, Junkies, Muggers, Vendors Action Scenes For the Birds Inside Central Park’s landscapes, there is as much diversity in fauna as in flora. But what happens when those animals start acting a bit . . . peculiar? If the heroes are in the park already, either by enjoying some time off or by patrolling, they will have to rescue several hapless citizens from bizarre animal encounters. Squirrels that have take over the Visitors’ Center, flocks of pigeons roosting on unsuspecting street performers, and stray cats and dogs teaming up. The media treats these attacks in a light-hearted way, until things start to get serious! The attacks soon turn viscous, and the more deadly animals try to break out of the zoo! As the heroes take care of these events, they soon begin to notice their allies with animal related powers are taking on more and more of their animal qualities. The players will soon face down their own allies, or even other characters who happen onto the scene. In fact, there is a rise of totemisitc energy throughout the park, inciting the creatures and related players and characters. The rise in energy that occurs in sufficient to raise Morlun, who the players must fight back or risk loosing an energy-vampire into this chaos. Nightmare in Central Park The players are invited to attend an avant-garde, charitable art exhibition located in Central Park. However, unknown to them, the event is a sham created by Mysterio and Mad Jack in hopes of luring Spider-Man into their elaborate deathtraps. If Spider-Man is one of the players, they must band together to fight their way out. Otherwise, the players will witness Spider-Man’s capture and now it’s a rescue operation! Mysterio and Mad Jack have integrated their illusions and traps within the park itself, creating a nightmarish version of Central Park. Through a combination of illusions and high-tech wizardry, the park will seem to have been broken apart into floating “islands” in space-- one island with a chess board and robotic, life-sized pieces, another island that spins like the carousel with mounted knights trying to skewer them, and so on. And since this is Mysterio and Mad jack, who is to say that the heroes are not fighting robotic duplicates of the two instead? Or perhaps they are just on the take, trying to assassinate the hero on behalf of an even greater mastermind. Simultaneous The super villain called the Wizard kidnaps a most unlikely set of targets: the old chess players in the park's Chess and Checkers House. The heroes are near the park, perhaps visiting a Fifth Avenue museum, when they see several airborne figures landing in the park. Use the map of Central Park for large-scale display of widely separated events. The flying figures are the Wizard, also known as the Wingless Wizard, and super villains that he hopes to enlist as underlings for his schemes. Use as many villains as there are PC heroes. Use any villains you like, especially the Wizard's old cronies in the Frightful Four: Sandman and the Trapster. The Wizard gives non-flying villains anti-gravity disks. He has designed them to burn out within three hours, by which time the villains should be safely on the ground. The Wizard is demonstrating his brilliance to these villains, who doubt his vaunted intellect in the face of his numerous defeats. Incensed at this doubt, the egomaniacal Wizard plans to kidnap every chess player in Central Park, shanghai them to his mansion on Long Island, and there play all of them in a simultaneous tournament. By defeating all the players (the Wizard reasons), he will demonstrate his mental superiority. This is the way such villains think. There are twice as many chess players in Central Park's Chess and Checkers House as there are villains to kidnap them. The villains swoop in, plant anti-gravity disks on all their victims, and carry them aloft. Then the PCs appear. In response, the Wizard sends his villain henchmen off in different directions, toward major Central Park landmarks, and throws his own captives straight up, hoping to divide the heroes. Then, over confident as usual, he threatens the PCs. "I intend no harm to these imbeciles," he says. "But my business is my own. Follow at your peril." He arrogantly refuses to give his motives. The other villains use their victims as hostages or throw them aside to delay pursuers. Heroes shouldn't try to target a villain who carries a hostage. Missed attacks hit a hostage. Of course, no hero worth the name will let the villains get away. PCs can steal the hostages, or make the villains set down their hostages and battle. Showcase as many park landmarks as possible. If any of the Wizard's henchmen have shape-shifting powers, try to change a PC into a frog or rat. Then you can send the PC into the midst of the frog-rat war in the park. Category:Settings Category:Earth Category:United States Category:New York City